Device for indenting and severing bars of clay, &amp;c.



No. 663,689. I Patented Dec. ll I960. R. H. STALEY & A. L. convensa. DEVICE FOR INDENTING AND SEVERING BARS 0F CLAY, 8L0.

V (Application filed Feb. 23, 1900.) (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet l BY o /s @M THE Nbmus PETERS co, PnoTo-umu, WASHINGTON, n. c,

. Patentd D90. ll, I900. R. H. STALEY &. A. L. CONVERSE. DEVICE FOR INDENT'NG AND SEVERING BARS 0F CLAY, 8L6.

A nmioh filed Feb. 23, 1900. g

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' (No Model.)

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WITNESSFS ms nonms PEYZRS cc, Pnoroumo. WASHINGTON. nv c NITED STATES RALEIGH H. STALEY AND ALBERT LUTTES CONVERSE, OF SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS;SAID CON VERSE ASSIGNOR TO SAID STALEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,689, dated December 11, 1900.

' Application filed February 23, 1900. Serial No. 6,315. (No model.)

T at whmn it may concern:

Be it known that we, RALEIGH H. STALEY and ALBERT LUTTES' CONVERSE, citizens of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county'of San gamon, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for indenting and Severing Bars of Clay, 820., of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a side elevation, partially in section. Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a plan View of Fig. 1, certain parts being broken away. Fig. 3 isa section as on line 3 3, Fig. 2, with the cut-off mechanism omitted.

The object of this invention is to provide an organized machine or mechanism for producing expeditiously and with uniformity, from a continuous bar of clay, bricks with rounded corners, adapted more especially for use in street-paving.

To this end the invention, broadly considered, comprises cut-0E mechanism or devices for severing the moving bar of clay, in combination with mechanism or devices adapted to make indentations in the side of the bar atsuitable intervals, which mechanisms are so connected and correlated that the line of severance of the clay bar by the cut-off mechanism shall be coincident with the line of the indentations made by the indenting mechanism.

The invention consists, further, in certain novel devices and combinations hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in certain claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, l is an endless belt, hereinafter termed the regulating-belt, running over end pulleys and intervening rollers journaled in a suitable frame 2, which belt is adapted to receive a bar of clay 3, expressed from the die 4, Fig. 1, of a brick-machine. The mechanism for severing the bar of clay into brick lengths consists in the present instance of a revoluble cut-off wheel 5, journaled in suitable supports 6 above the said belt, having mounted transversely thereon a series of cut-off wires (not shown) that are adapted to pass successively through the bar of clay 3 as the wheel rotates, the rotation of the latter being regulated by the movement of the belt 1, which latter is regulated by the movement of the bar of claythereon. The course or movement of the said Wheel is controlled so as to cause the cut-off Wires to pass squarely through the moving clay bar, at right angles thereto, by means of a cam '7 on the shaft 8 of the for- Ward pulley 9, around which the belt 1 passes, the said wheel having tappets 5*, adapted to impinge upon the edge of the cam 7. This cut-off wheel is aided to move in unison with the clay bar by means of a friction or slipping belt (not shown) running overa wheel 10 on the shaft 5 of the cut-off wheel and over a positively-driven pulley, (not shown,) whereby whatever be thespeed of movement of the bar of clay the cut-0E wires will be caused to pass squarely through at right angles to the bar. The circumference of the pulley 9, hereinafter termed the measuring-pulley, (as it determines the length of the bricks to be made,) plus one-half of the thickuessof the regulating-belt, is made equal to a. multiple of such bricklength. In the presentinstance it is equal to two brick lengths. Ve do not deem it necessary to further describe this cut-off mechanism, which has been in extensive use for many years and is the invention of Cyrus Chambers, Jr., and is fully described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 362,204, issued to him May 3, 1887. We have merely taken the said mechanism by way of illustration, as any other suitable cut-off mechanism may be used and combined and correlated with the indenting mechanism.

Referring now to the indenting mechanism, 11 denotes vertical bars, hereinafter termed indenters. These are fixed to a disk 12, that is mounted on a vertical shaft 13. m The projecting or outer ends of these indenters are pointed or of V form, as shown, and in the present instance there are two equidistant indenters and two sets thereof on opposite sides of the path of the bar of clay, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, which are it adapted to pass into and out of said path as their respective shafts rotate in unison, as hereinafter explained. The said shafts 13 are j our- -endless belt 1.

naled in a suitable frame 14:, that is supported by and upon the frame 2, which sustains the On the upper end of each of said shafts is a bevel-gear 15, with which engages a similar gear 16 on a horizontal shaft 17, that is journaled in uprights 18 of the frame 14. On the free end of thelatter shaft is a sprocket-wheel 19, around which passes a sprocket-chain 20, that also passes around a similar wheel 21 on the end of thesha-ft 8 of the measuring-pulley 9 of the endless belt 1. As the speed of rotation of the shaft 8, and consequently thatof' the cut-off which is governed by the cam 7 on said shaft, corresponds with the surface speed of travel of the bar of clay, and the sprocket'wheels 9 and 21 being of the same size and the bevelgears 15 and 16 being of the same size, the speed of rotation of the indenters 11 will correspondwith the advance movement of the bar of clay and of the cut-off wheel, and the relative timing of the movement of the clay bar, the cut-off mechanism, and the indenting devices is such that the severance of the clay bar shall always be on the line of the indentations previously made by the operation of the in denters.

In the machine shown in the drawings the indenting devices are located at, such distance in advance of the cutoff devices that the indentations are made in the bar of clay a distance of two brick lengths from the point of complete severance thereof. The distance between the indenters and the cut-off is, however, immaterial, so long as the devices are properly relatively timed that the severance shall be on the line of the indentations, as hereinbefore alluded to. In practice we would prefer to locate the indenting devices at such distance. in advance of. the'cut-ofl.

that the indentations would be made in the clay bar at a time when the cut-off wires are not passing through the bar of claythat is,

during the interval between the successive cutsthus relieving the bar of the double strain that would be imposed upon it were the indentations and cutting to take place simultaneously. There being two of the indenters to each set, whose distance apart :in the arc of a circle struck from the center of shaft 13 and connecting the outer or cutting edge of the indenters is equal to a brick length, two successive indentations in each side of the bar, a brick length apart, will be made at each complete revolution of the shafts 13, that respectively carry theindenters.

While it is preferred to make two indentations at each complete revolution of the indenter-shafts, it is obvious that by suitably changing the connections between the latter and the shaft 8 of the measuring-pulley 9, with a corresponding change in the arrangement of the indenters, (or a single one may be used,) there may be a greater or less number of indentations at each revolution of the indenter-shafts.

It will be seen that as'the cut-off is transversely'across from the bottoms of the indentations b the end corners or edges of the bricks will be rounded or beveled, as the case may be, as seen by observing the brick b in Figs. 1 and 2 that has been cut off. If it also be desired, as is usually -the casewith streetpaving bricks, the longitudinal corners of the bricks maybe likewisero'unded or beveled, as seen in Fig. 3, by having the corners of the die 4 of suitable shape.

As hereinbefore suggested, we do not limit ourselves to. the precise cut-off mechanism described, nor is our invention limited to the particular indenting devices and mechanism, nor to the particular mechanism shown for supporting and conveying the-barof clay, the essence of the invention being in what may be termed an organization consistingof suitable supporting and conveying devices for the bar of clay, suitable indenting devices, and suitable cut-off devices and connections between said devices, all combined, arranged, and correlated that the movements of the bar of clay, of theindenting devices, and the cutofi devices shall be in unison to effect the result which is the ultimate objectof the invention hereinbefore described.

Having thus described our-invention, we claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent v 1. In combination, means for supporting and conveying a bar-of clay, suitable-indenting mechanism, a suitable cut-off mechanism, said means and mechanismsbeing relatively arranged and correlated substantially as shown and described, and connections between the same to cause them towork in unison, whereby the said indenting mechanism is caused to make indentations in the bar of clay at predetermined intervals apart, andthe cut-off mechanism is caused to sever said bar transversely to the direction of movement thereof on a line coincident with said indentations, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination, an, endless belt or carrier adapted to receive thereona movingbar of clay, cut-0E mechanism connected with said carrier adapted to sever the bar of clay transversely'into brick lengths, mechanism adapted to form transverse indentations in said bar, and located with relation to'said carrier and cut-off mechanism as described, and

connections between said carrier and mechanisms adapted to cause the same to work in said carrier adaptedvtosever the bar of clay transversely into brick lengths, an indenting device consisting of one or moremoving bars IIO IO mined intervals, and the said bar is severed transversely on the line of said indentations previously made, substantially as set forth. In testimony whereof We have hereunto affixed our signatures this 13th day of February, A. D. 1900.

RALEIGH H. STALEY.

ALBERT LUTTES CONVERSE.

Witnesses:

WM. T. SMITH, HIRAM E. GARDNER. 

